Pubdate: Fri, 20 Mar 2015
Source: Trentonian, The (NJ)
Copyright: 2015 The Trentonian
Contact:  http://www.trentonian.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1006
Author: Edward Forchion, NJWeedman.com For The Trentonian

PASSING IT AT THE STATE HOUSE SATURDAY 4:20 P.M.

I wanted to write about the fact that starting at 2:30 on Saturday 
afternoon, hundreds of victims of New Jersey's current criminal 
marijuana laws will march from the Trenton train station down State 
Street to the State House, where a large smoky "civil disobedience 
protest" will begin at 4:20 p.m.

But first I must cringe at President Obama's recent comments to VICE 
magazine. VICE is a youth-oriented media outlet that I enjoy even 
though I'm actually 50 and considered middle-aged now. (I can't 
believe I just conceded that I'm middle aged.)

The VICE interviewer told the president-the former leader of the 
Choom Gang-that marijuana is the subject that online readers most 
wanted The President to address.

President Obama's response: "It shouldn't be young people's biggest 
priority. Let's put it in perspective. Young people, I understand 
this is important to you. But you should be thinking about climate 
change, the economy, jobs, war, and peace. Maybe way at the bottom 
you should be thinking about marijuana."

OM Ganja- I choked on my joint when I watched that. I can't express 
in writing how hard it was for me to keep myself from pulling out my 
dreads and breaking my BONG over my own head. DUDE, how upset did 
that make my middle-aged self feel! I felt used, abused, and 
forgotten. I, as a pothead, actually campaigned for Barack; while in 
Hollywood I teamed up with world-renowned artist Shepard Fairey and a 
list of celebrities to make a campaign video I was proud of until 
recently, when President Obama relaunched our war in Iraq. (another 
disappointment)

In 2008 I voted for him, not because he was black, but because he was 
an admitted POTHEAD. He called the friends he smoked weed with as a 
teenager the "Choom Gang," and he was its leader! That's how he got 
my priority vote, and the priority votes of millions of young people 
from the cannabis-consuming community of America-because of those 
admissions. Now he says, "Get your priorities in order! I'm becoming 
a Republican!" (SIKE-never, stab me first.)

I see no greater problem in America than our drug laws, especially 
the marijuana laws which I have been a victim of several times over 
the years. Around 900,000 Americans were arrested for marijuana last 
year, and 22,000 of those were New Jersey residents. I know what it's 
like when you are arrested, prosecuted, fined, jailed, imprisoned, 
lose your license... It ruins everything else, Mr. President - that 
is why it's a priority. Marijuana legalization directly affects the 
economy, jobs, war, and peace, but that has to be the subject of a 
future Column.

There is no law the public rejects more openly than the white lies we 
call the marijuana laws, which disproportionately affect millions of 
brown lives. Yet, millions of Americans of all races and walks of 
life openly ignore the marijuana laws, as hundreds of us will be 
doing publicly on Saturday in front of the NJ State House.

BTW- NJUMR ( NJ United for Marijuana Reform) and Trenton's Mayor 
Jackson were invited. Let's see who shows up. I told Deputy Mayor 
Bobbitt to just stay to my right if he doesn't want to smoke - I 
always pass the dutchie to the left.

It's been six years, Mr. President-make it a priority to "de-schedule 
marihuana."

Due to the War on Drugs, America is not the leader of the free world 
anymore because we aren't free here; we imprison more of our citizens 
than any other nation in the world. We're the police state of the 
world because of our do-gooders who've inflicted goodness on us with 
their self-righteous-worthless drug laws that turn millions into criminals.

If you've been a victim of NJ's marijuana laws, I'd like to PASS THE 
JOINT to you this Saturday, stand to my left.

I'm still in shock at the president's statement. But locally we have 
no shortage of prudish, snobbish, naive Reefer Madness devotees, such 
as New Jersey (R) State Assemblyperson Mary Pat Angelini, who 
continues to push to keep arresting people for a plant. And then we 
have Mr. Barr, the head of the New Jersey Municipal Prosecutors 
Association, who has prosecuted another 404 citizens for POT this 
week, which comes to 1,212 since he called for legalization. Mr. 
Barr, again I say: Just stop prosecuting!

Regardless of how obstructionist Republican Governor Christie or 
Assemblyperson Angelini have been with the state's marijuana 
policies, legalization is coming.

Thousands of New Jerseyans are arrested and ruined by the archaic 
state marijuana laws, and Ms. Angelini is writing statewide 
Editorials in support of continued prohibition: In "Legalized 
Marijuana Wrong for N.J." (Asbury Park Press, March 15), she said, 
"Imagine a world in which tourists visit Monmouth County towns like 
Asbury Park not for the beaches and historic boardwalk, but to get 
stoned on super potent 'legal' marijuana. Homeless young people 
flocking to our area to do drugs without fear of repercussions. 
Stores in downtown Red Bank or Freehold offering an array of potlaced 
products like candy bars and ice cream which not only lure adult 
users, but are also quite appealing to children."

What I noticed about Ms. Angelini's recent Editorial is how she 
didn't even mention our state marijuana laws' blatant racial 
targeting of people of color, who are the disproportionate victims of 
the laws she capitalizes off. Anslinger, Angelini no difference.

The potheads will be demanding harm reduction to our society-is that 
so hard to comprehend, Mr. Christie? This is all we want, for the 
government to stop arresting and ruining us, stop preventing us from 
using this natural substance, this food, this medicine-this 
remarkable plant. Cannabis is one of the greatest therapeutic 
substances on the planet. #legalizeNJ

Are you down with legalization? Are you coming to The Spring Smoke-Out?
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom